ADAPTIVE TRAINING SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS

• US 20140186810A1
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CAE USA Incorporated (CAE Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Falash, Mark, Pollak, Eytan, Barnoske, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,311,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/308
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/04 characterised by modifying the teaching programme in response to a wrong answer, e.g. repeating the question, supplying a further explanation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/02 for teaching control of vehicles or other craft

Abstract

A system and method for training a student employ a simulation station that displays output to the student and receives input. The computer system has a rules engine operating on it and computer accessible data storage storing (i) learning object data including learning objects configured to provide interaction with the student at the simulation system and (ii) rule data defining a plurality of rules accessed by the rules engine. The rules data includes, for each rule, respective (a) if-portion data defining a condition of data and (b) then-portion data defining an action to be performed at the simulation station. The rules engine causes the computer system to perform the action when the condition of data is present in the data storage. For at least some of the rules, the action comprises output of one of the learning objects so as to interact with the student.

Claims

1. A system for training a student, said system comprising:

a simulation station configured to interact with the student, said simulation system displaying output to the student via at least one output device and receiving input via at least one input device;

a computer system having a rules engine operative thereon and computer accessible data storage operatively associated therewith and storing the following electronically accessible data;

learning object data comprising a plurality of learning objects each configured to provide interaction with the student at the simulation system, and

rule data defining a plurality of rules accessed by the rules engine, said rules data including, for each rule, respective if-portion data defining a condition of data and then-portion data defining an action to be performed at the simulation station,

for at least some of said rules, the respective action comprising output of a respective one of the learning objects so as to interact with the student; and

said rules engine causing the computer system to perform the action when the condition of data is present in the data storage.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein some of the learning objects each comprise respective training output data configured so as to provide a respective training output video displayed to the student at the simulation station on a display device or training output audio played to the student at the simulation station by a sound output device;

and

wherein the data storage device or devices store student state data including data indicative of learning objects that have been output to the student, said data being updated on completion of output of the respective learning object; and

wherein the rule data defines at least one of said rules with a data condition that the data indicates that the training output data of a first prerequisite of said learning objects has been output to the student, and an action that causes the simulation station to provide the training output data of a second advanced learning object to the student; and

wherein the data condition of the predetermined level is a data flag value that is set to one of two values before output and another of the two values after output is completed.

3. The system according to claim 1,

wherein data storage also stores objective data defining respective acceptable inputs that are to be made by the student at the simulation station during training;

and

wherein the computer system has an assessment module that makes a determination of a training level of the student based on the objective data and actual inputs of the student at the simulation station, and updates performance data of the student stored in the data storage based on said determination;

wherein the assessment module comprises a set of assessment rules that are part of the rules data, said assessment rules having if-portions defining data conditions including data regarding presentation of learning objects that contain a test question or operational scenario the reaction to which is indicative of the training level of the student, and

wherein the rule data includes a rule that has an if-portion with a data condition that the performance data of the student is below a predetermined acceptable threshold, and a then-portion with an action that includes outputting one of the learning objects to the student at the simulation station, where said learning object includes remedial training output relating to the performance data;

wherein the performance data is a KSA assessment and the remedial training learning object is selected from a plurality of remedial training learning objects based on a KSA gap indicated by the performance data, said remedial training learning objects each configured to remediate a gap in, respectively, knowledge, skill and ability.

4. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the training output data includes audio and video that is output through a display device and an audio sound system of the simulation station, and wherein the video includes a display of a human avatar and the audio includes a speaking voice of the avatar;

and

wherein the simulation station further comprises a haptic output device.

5. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the simulator station simulates a vehicle, and the rules initiate an action of one of the learning objects that output virtual data that is displayed on a screen in the simulation station so that the screen has the appearance of controls of the vehicle, and input can be entered by the student by touching the screen and interacting with the virtual controls thereby;

and

wherein the rules also initiate an action of another learning object that causes the simulation station to display to the student an out-the-widow view rendered in real time on a display screen of the simulator station corresponding to a simulated view from a calculated virtual location of the simulated vehicle in a virtual environment identified by the learning object data simulation initiated responsive to an action initiating the learning object.

6. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the student state data includes biometric data derived from monitoring the student with one or more input devices, and wherein the rules include one or more rules that initiate actions responsive to a data condition wherein the biometric data indicates circumstances for a break, circumstances indicating that the student is not being presented with adequately difficult objectives, or circumstances that the student is being presented with objectives that are too difficult, and said actions include starting a learning object, offering the student a break, or starting learning objects that increase or reduce the difficulty of the training;

and

wherein the biometric data is provided by an eye tracker, a microphone, a respiration sensor, sensors capable of detecting posture of the student, or one or more brain sensors.

7. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the computer system includes

a simulation-station computer located with the simulation station and connected with the input and output devices thereof, said simulation-station computer supporting the rules engine, said rules engine being configured to access data defining rules in CLIPS, the data storage including a local data storage device storing the learning object data, the rules data, the objective data, the student state data, and platform state data defining status of the operation of the simulation station for a lesson being given thereon;

and

a computerized learning management system communicating over a network with the simulation-station computer, said learning management system having data storage storing lesson data, the lesson data including learning object data, objective data, and rules data for a plurality of lessons; and

a plurality of other computer systems each connected with the learning management system via the network and functioning as part of a respective simulation station having a input and output devices for training a respective student;

said learning management system transmitting copies of lesson data for a selected lesson to each of the simulation stations.

8. A method for providing computerized training to a student, said method comprising:

providing a simulation station connected with a computer system with computer-accessible data storage supporting a rules engine thereon;

storing lesson data in the data storage so as to be accessed by the rules engine, said lesson data comprising

learning object data defining a number of learning objects that each, when activated by the rules engine, cause the simulation station to output visual imagery, audio or other output, and

rules data defining a plurality of rules on which the rules engine operates so as to administer the computerized training, said rules each having a data condition part and an action part, the data condition part defining a state of data in the data storage that, when present, causes the rules engine to direct the computerized system to take a predetermined action, at least some of said actions comprising activating at least some of the learning objects to interact with the student at the simulation station;

storing student state data in the data storage, said student state data including data defining an assessment measure of training of the student;

providing the computerized training to the student at the simulation station with the rules engine administering the training according to the rules stored in the data storage;

determining repeatedly or continually the assessment measure for the student based on input received from the student at the simulation station;

storing the determined assessment measure in the student state data;

wherein the rules data defines at least one rule that initiates the action thereof when a data condition that the student state data in the data storage defines an assessment measure below a predetermined value is present, the action including initiating operation on the simulation station of one of the stored learning objects.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the student state data includes data identifying any of the learning objects that the student has completed.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the data storage further stores objective data that includes data defining input that should be received from the student interacting with the simulation station if training of the student is effective;

and

the assessment measure of the student including a determination of knowledge, skill and ability of the student in an instructional area;

the assessment measure including a determination of a KSA gap between the determined knowledge, skill and ability of the student and a level of knowledge, skill and ability defined by the objective data, and storing of data indicative of said KSA gap in the student state data;

said determination including providing computerized output a learning object to the student and processing a reaction input or absence of reaction input from the student, said output comprising media presenting a test question output to the student, and the reaction input comprising an answering input, or the output comprising a presentation of an simulated condition of a simulated vehicle requiring the student to react by providing control input, the control input comprising an input in simulated vehicle control panel or cockpit;

wherein the rules engine has one or more rules that, responsive to a condition of the data indicative of said KSA gap, initiates remedial action comprising initiating one of the learning objects so as to output media content stored in the learning object to the student, the rules data including a plurality of rules each having a respective remedial action and a respective if-portion initiating the associated remedial action based on a different assessment of the KSA gap for the student in regard to the instructional area;

wherein one of said plurality of rules, when the KSA gap data shows a gap in knowledge, activates a knowledge-directed remedial learning object, another of said rules, when the KSA gap data shows a gap in skill, activates a skill-directed remedial learning object, and a third of said rules, when the KSA gap data shows a gap in ability, activates an ability-directed remedial learning object, in sequential priority.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least some of the learning objects include data defining video or audio media to be output to the student via the simulation station, or data defining virtual control panels configured to be output on one or more interactive touch panel I/O devices in the simulation station so that the simulation station may be employed to emulate different vehicles for different lessons.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the learning objects when initiated causes the simulation station to display imagery generated in real-time by an image generator of the computer system using a virtual environment identified by the learning object and showing a view thereof from a position of the student in said virtual world.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the computer system is connected via a network to a learning management computer system storing data corresponding to a plurality of lessons, and said method further comprises

downloading a second lesson from the learning management computer system over the network responsive to interactive communication between the simulation station and the learning management system over the network;

said second lesson comprising

data defining a plurality of learning objects comprising media to be output to the simulation station,

objective data defining responsive input to be received at the simulation station responsive to said media output and

rules data associated with said learning objects configured so as to present the learning objects, including rules causing the computer system of the simulation station to repeatedly assess effectiveness of training of the student in said second lesson and to store data indicative of the assessment in the student state data, and to take different actions in regard to presenting the learning objects to the student based on different data conditions of the adjusted assessment data;

whereby the simulation station is configured to present a different course of training from that of the first lesson.

14. The method of claim 13, and further comprising

receiving over the network at the learning management computer system data indicative of a new student at the simulation station;

and

transmitting second student data to the simulation station so as to be stored in the data storage so that the second student can be trained at the simulation station.